America in 250: Episodes 1-5

We just wrapped up the first week of our series America in 250. A guide to 250 things you can do to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. We thought we could come on here every week and add a recap of the 5 episodes that premiere during the week and give a little more context behind our picks. This week has a few episodes of events that ran either on one day or already ended as of the writing of this post. Anyways let's hop into it.

1. Watch fireworks in Washington DC on Independence Day

This one is a must do for every American at least once in their lives. There are certain events that you have to do in certain places. Sure you can watch fireworks in your hometown. Maybe you even set them off yourself in your backyard. (Praying you never lose a finger 🙏🏻)

However, there is something special about watching fireworks surrounded by the monuments of the great men who helped to build this country into what it is today. If you've never visited Washington DC, I don't think there is a better time to go. There are patriotic decorations everywhere and people from all across the country are walking around the monuments and museums.

There is such a distinct feeling of patriotism in the air and it's really inspiring. For the 250th anniversary, they did a fireworks show that was larger than ever. They shot off over 850,000 fireworks in just 40 minutes which was insane to see. You just get a reminder all around you of all the great men and women who led our country or sacrificed their lives in order to protect the freedoms we all enjoy today. I love watching fireworks on the 4th of July with friends and family but we really wanted to do something special this year.

A few tips if you decide to visit:

It's busy, like really busy. There are hundreds of thousands of people visiting the city during early July for all the Independence Day events that take place. Be ready to see a crazy amount of people in museums, restaurants, and monuments.

There are many places to get great views of the fireworks. Some of these places include Arlington Cemetery, the Thomas Jefferson memorial, rooftop bars and restaurants, and many others. We decided to sit on the National Mall but it gets really busy since this is probably the most popular place to watch the fireworks.

Use the public transportation like the Washington Metro system. There are road closures, lack of parking, and other issues that can make driving into the city a nightmare on the Fourth of July. It's hard to find taxis or ride-shares as well for these same reasons. The Washington Metro is usually free after 5pm on July 4th and is open late to help transport people. The Metro was a lifesaver for us since we stayed in a hotel outside the city. It allowed us to get back to our hotel in a little under an hour.

2. Visit the Great American State Fair

When the Great American State Fair was first announced, we were very excited. We envisioned booths from every state where they were set up with all the things that the state is famous for, food and drinks from that state, live performances and shows, and Americans from all over the country gathered to celebrate the nation's 250th birthday.

When we got there, that's pretty close to what we experienced. We saw lots of people enjoying the different booths. Collecting stamps in their State Passport as well as goodies from the different booths. Some booths had really long lines like Florida and New York because they were giving out stuffed animals or had a really intricate design inside their booths like a walking tour through Arizona or Nevada. Every state had a different theme but all were really proud of what their state had to offer.

The only thing we expected but didn't get was the food from the different states. We thought there would be maybe local favorites like Skyline Chili in Ohio or bourbon from Kentucky. That wasn't the case. The only state that passed out food was Tennessee that passed out Little Debbie cakes, because they're from Tennessee. There was an area to buy food but it was just regular American staples like burgers, hot dogs, and french fries.

The best part in our opinion was meeting all the people. Each booth had people from their state working the booth. So we liked to ask and hear about where everyone was from and what they liked about living in their state. Everyone visiting the fair also enjoyed meeting people from their state inside the booth or walking around the fair. We talked to people from so many different states and territories and got to connect with them in a real way.

There was lots of complaints online about how poorly the fair was run and that everything was breaking down. But honestly, we were pleasantly surprised with the experience we had and were glad we got to enjoy the fair and talk to people from different states while it was running in Washington DC.

3. Visit the American Aspirations exhibit at the Smithsonian Castle

The Smithsonian Castle has been closed for years so when we heard it would be open for this trip we knew we had to check it out. They announced an exhibit called American Aspirations that would be presented inside the castle. The exhibit focuses on American ideals and how they affected our history and how they drive our country into the future.

The exhibit is split into sections around the ideals of Hope, Liberty, Defending Freedom, Progress, Democracy, Fairness, New Horizons. Each section has artifacts that match the theme of these ideals. They have the first gold nugget found in Sutter's Mill, California that started the gold rush, a piece of the original Star Spangled Banner, the desk Thomas Jefferson used to draft the Declaration of Independence and more.

The exhibit runs from June 2 to July 26 2026. If you're in the DC area, we highly recommend going to check out this exhibit and seeing the inside of the incredible Smithsonian Castle.

4. Watch the sun rise through Mesa Arch at Canyonlands National Park

Everyone can agree that watching the sun rise is a beautiful thing. Getting to see the first rays of light that signal the start of a new day. Few places in the whole country can beat this spot to watch sun rise.

In Canyonlands National Park, near Moab, Utah, there is a spot called Mesa Arch. It's a very popular place to watch the sun rise. The hike from the trailhead is short. It's a 0.5 mile round trip hike that doesn't have a lot of elevation change.

Before the sun comes out, you can see the glow of it in the sky behind the La Sal Mountains in front of you. As the sun slowly peeks out, everyone is amazed by how perfectly it lines up with the view from the arch. The higher the sun rises, the more the orange light begins to illuminate all the sandstone around you. The entire bottom side of Mesa Arch will light up in this deep orange color that looks incredible.

Shortly after the sun comes out, most of the crowd will immediately leave. This is your chance to take some pictures around the arch without the crowds that were gathered there before the sun came out. It's a great place to start a morning in Canyonlands National Park.

5. Drive Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park

The United States of America has the most beautiful roads in the world. That's right I said it. The list of roads we want to drive in this country is so long. Fortunately for us, we had the opportunity to drive one of those very roads in October 2025.

That road was Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. This 48-mile road stretches from Estes Park on the east side of the park to Grand Lake on the west side. The road peaks at 12,183 feet in elevation and takes the title of highest continuously paved road in the United States.

The views from this road are unlike anything we've ever seen before. As you begin the drive in the lower elevations, you're surrounded by pine trees and towering rocky mountains. As you continue climbing in elevation, you're treated to views of mountain peaks and the entire surrounding area has turned into an alpine tundra. Once we got close to the top, it began to snow on us.

We pulled off the road every couple of minutes to take pictures and soak in the beauty that surrounded us. It was definitely one of those drives that reminds you just how big the country is.

Trail Ridge Road is usually open from about May to mid-October. If you're planning a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. Make sure you don't miss driving on this road. It's the key to seeing both sides of the park and has some of the best views.

So there's the first 5 things we think that everyone should do to celebrate America's 250th anniversary. We know that a lot of people are only patriotic or only celebrate the country on the 4th of July, but there's so much to love about this country and so many different things to do to celebrate and learn more about the United States. Check back next week for another recap of the next five episodes. Be sure to check out the Series page on America in 250 to find every episode we've published so far as well as a map to show you where they're located.